(The Center Square) – An explosion at a U.S. Steel mill on Monday killed at least one worker and left many others trapped under rubble, according to multiple media reports.
The incident occurred at 10:51 a.m. at the Clairton Coke Works plant about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh. Residents living within one mile of the facility were advised to stay inside and close all doors and windows, local health officials said.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said the warning “is out of an abundance of caution.”
“I’m closely monitoring the situation at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works following this morning’s explosion,” she said. “Allegheny County Emergency Services is on site, and I am headed there now to meet with responders.”
An afternoon update from the Allegheny County Police Department revealed that one of two missing workers had been accounted for and was in an unknown condition at a local hospital, alongside nine others who were injured.
The department said multiple secondary explosions were reported, but no one was hurt. The cause remains under investigation by the county’s homicide unit, the Allegheny County Fire Marshal and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“Today’s tragic events have left our entire region shaken,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Greensburg. “My heart and prayers are with the families enduring unimaginable worry and grief. I am deeply grateful for the swift and selfless actions of first responders and rescue crews who continue working under stressful conditions.”
Ward, a staunch advocate of preserving U.S. Steel’s legacy in western Pennsylvania, said the region’s story “has been forged in the heat of steel mills by people who do not back down from challenges but instead stand shoulder-to-shoulder in hard times.”
“In the face of heartbreak, we will not waver – because in western Pennsylvania, we are forged in steel and we do not break,” she said.
This is a developing story.
